They say this is how it starts...

Tuesday was a day filled with just an overall feeling of anxiousness. Tomorrow I started this whole new thing. And to add to the intense feeling of impending doom, sorority rush was to start Thursday evening.

Sorority rush, er... excuse me, recruitment, was something I was expected to do. I was expected to rush, pledge, and be initiated Beta Nu. Just like my mom. Just like my aunts (somehow on both my mom and dad’s side!!). Just like my grandmother. Just like all my female cousins-except Lindy. Lindy forwent college to join the Marines. I mean, you can’t fault her for not being a Beta when she is protecting our right to freedom, right?

Anyway, I am super stressed about not only school, but recruitment. It was like this looming thought over everything I did. You think to yourself “What if an ABC saw me do that? How embarrassing!” or “I hope a DEF didn’t find out I went out to the fraternity houses over the summer.” The list of anxieties goes on. My mom always says “Life was easier when rush was dirty.”  I don’t know much about this “dirty” rushing, but I guess she’s right. We had so many restrictions and things to worry about. There had been a big assembly for all the girls who signed up for recruitment on the 2^nd night we were on campus. We were explicitly told that under almost no circumstance, excluding impending death, are we to speak to a “sorority woman.” That clause becomes nullified in a classroom setting, but is reinstated again on the all-important bid day. There were many other rules, but they mainly all boiled down to, don’t talk to or cavort with any sorority members.

After thinking about that had worked me into a tizzy, Yvonne stopped by my room. Yvonne and Ree were the people who reached out to me most, so they became my two best friends. I didn’t mind, they were nice, fun and really witty. I just wished I could be the one to initiate friendships and not wait for them to happen to me.

“Hey Yvonne, have a seat. Candace is of course out, so you can sit on her bed.” I sneered at Candace’s bed in disdain. I swear Candace was like the least likeable, biggest brat. Ever.

Yvonne laughed, “Oh Lord, I’m not going to even ask what the dilemma is in Candace Land.” She paused. “So, I have something I need to ask you.” I nodded, signaling her to continue. “Do you think it’d be weird if I went out with Allen?”

Allen was a guy that Yvonne had met the same night I met Mark. I was puzzled as to why she was asking. I thought we all agreed we liked Allen and that he was a solid option as far as the subpar grouping of freshmen boys we had at our disposal. “I mean, why wouldn’t you want to?”

She rolled her eyes and shook her head. “You’re so out of this aren’t you? Did your high school boyfriend just make you devoid of all relationship knowledge?” I gave her a hard glance as if to say hey, girl! Watch it! “You can’t just go pairing off before classes even start. You’ll end up in an at least semester long relationship that might be bad for business, you know?”

I shook my head. I did not know. “I mean, if you like him, who cares?”

“Oh goodness. I’ll spell this out for you. Allen is nice. What if somebody else I haven’t met yet is nicer? I can’t just go giving myself away to the first person to put in a bid.”

I scoffed. Looking back, probably in poor taste, but whatever. She was being insane. “Look, you can’t live in these what ifs. It’s dinner. He isn’t telling you that you can never see another guy ever. He isn’t making you sign a contract. Do what you want.”

She laughed. “Somebody must be infatuated with a Mr. Mark Hart, and doesn’t want to look at the facts.”

I blushed. Like a fool. She may have caught me there. I didn’t respond. Further proving my guilt. She prodded. “So, Missy! What about this Hart character?”

“Eve! I can’t fall in love in 2 days. I just-- he’s nice. And he makes me laugh. And, I might be seeing him tonight. Again. For the 3^rd night in a row.”

She looked puzzled. “But wait! You were with me, Ree and Ashley until 2am last night drinking Mad Dog and watching The Hangovers I,II, and III.”

I burst out laughing. “I am aware of where I was until what time. Thanks, mom!”

She eyed me. “So, when were you going to divulge that you went on this little late night, early morning ho-bag adventure?” She was teasing. She was definitely not in a position to call me a ho-bag. She’d sent Allen a drunk text Sunday reading “Wahhyy dunt yiu evahhh asm me ovwr fie secsy rim.” Direct quote. I took a screen shot and sent it to myself. It was that priceless. She instantly regretted it. But he just laughed it off Monday morning when he got it and said he was flattered. Clearly it worked, as he was asking her out.

I knew I had to answer her. “Okay, so we’d been texting all night, as you know. And I just randomly told him that I wasn’t looking forward to seeing Candace when I got in. He said I could come by if I wanted to avoid her a little longer. So, that’s what I did. And I avoided her... well, all night.”

Yvonne squealed with excitement! “Ahh! Did you hook up with him?!”

I gave her a coy look, then laughed. “No, I was actually a lot more drunk than I anticipated. Walking around made it very clear I had too much. I got in and fell over a pair of his shoes. He laughed and picked me up, put me in his bed and gave me some water and Advil. He woke me up in the middle of the night to make out a little, but nothing super exciting.”

She was clapping hysterically! “You’re so lucky! He’s so sweet to you! And you’re seeing him again?”

I shrugged my shoulders. “You just got on to me for making my mind up on someone too quickly, and now you’re acting like this is the biggest deal ever and we should get married. Pick a side.”

With a sigh, “No, you and I are different. I had precisely 24 boyfriends in high school. You had one. I’m a bee, just floating from flower to flower. You’re a penguin. You pick life mates. It’s cute. But we’re polar opposites.” She laughed to herself. “Get it! Polar!!!”

“Oh my gosh, please get out so I can get ready for dinner with Mark...” I started to push her out the door as I remembered I could really use some help picking out an outfit. “Wait! Just kidding. What would you wear to Surin?”